Social marketing is the adaptation of commercial marketing principles, tools and approaches to programmes designed to influence the voluntary behaviour of target audiences to improve their personal welfare and that of society of which they are a part. The idea that marketing tools and techniques could be used to promote social good and help address social problems was developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when it was argued that marketing is relevant to all organisations with "customers". According to this early view of social marketing, commercial approaches, such as the 4Ps (product, price, place, promotion) framework, could be used to influence individuals. This view places responsibility for change on individuals and largely ignores the systematic and environmental influences on behaviours. This critical review is underpinned by the need for a new perspective on social marketing, recognising the complexities of behaviour change and focusing on human beings within a systems/socio-ecological context. It starts by challenging the traditional view of social marketing and the applicability of models such as the 4Ps. Subsequent papers build upon this by demonstrating behaviour change is dependent on relationships, emotional connections, community cohesion and communications between human beings. A new behavioural change framework was developed and tested to demonstrate how this approach could be applied in practice. This model was developed further to include a unique view of 'midstream social marketing', which proposes service staff, and the interactions they have with clients and other stakeholders, is of critical importance for behaviour change. Since the relevant paper was published, midstream social marketing features regularly in journal papers and conferences. This critical review also adds to social marketing knowledge tlu·ough the adaptation and application of the socio-ecological model to the discipline. The author's research shows how the resilience construct -the ability of individuals and communities to cope with adversity -can be used to integrate upstream (policy level), midstrean1 (organisational and community level) and downstream (individual level) social marketing approaches, underpinned by socio-ecological models of behaviour. This extends the more common use of resilience in the context of ecological sustainability or response to disasters. For the first time, this thesis demonstrates how social marketers can use developmental psychology and social work theory to shift their thinking away from targeting individual behaviour problems (smoking, dangerous drinking and unhealthy eating etc.) towards working with young people, families and communities to build long-term resilience to a range of risk factors.

This thesis develops a framework for enhancing current financial reporting of intangibles related information in knowledge intensive industries informed by the particular needs and requirements of the users of such reports. Four financial statements user groups (investment fund managers, CFOs of companies, credit institutions and auditors) were interviewed to obtain an understanding of their views of the usefulness of current financial statements. Following these initial interviews, questionnaires were sent out and related interviews conducted to identify factors that would be useful for improving current financial reporting practice related to intangibles. These factors were used to build a new intangibles disclosure framework or ‘model’. This new ‘model’ was then validated with financial statements users and a representative of an accounting standards setter1 in respect of its acceptability and usefulness. This study also explored the question of appropriate methodology for examining and developing financial accounting theory. Financial accounting research is currently undertaken in the two different fields of normative and positive accounting theory. Both have different views on what is deemed as commonly acceptable research methodologies to contribute to current knowledge. Unfortunately, neither field supports the development of financial accounting standards based on qualitative empirical research methodologies founded on the views of users of such financial accounting standards. This thesis provides evidence for the need to establish a new branch of financial accounting research: conditional-normative accounting research. In addition, this thesis also provides a process by which this new branch of financial accounting research can be operationalised. This thesis contributes to the current knowledge in three ways: It proposes a new user-based intangibles disclosure framework model for knowledge intensive industries which was developed and validated based on qualitative empirical research methodology. It contributes to the establishment of a new branch of financial accounting theory which is referred to by Mattessich (1995) as conditional-normative accounting theory. The latter consists of financial accounting norms and policy recommendations developed through the application of qualitative empirical research methodologies. It provides a process by which the concept of conditional-normative accounting theory can be operationalised in research practice.

There is little empirical research on how change champions operate in practice; even less on how they operate in elected authorities, and no research to date on their role in the management of change in local government in Northern Ireland. The initial aim of this research was therefore to examine; the roles, skills, resistance encountered, and the development needs of the change champions, in order to develop an improvement agenda and best practice recommendations. During the research process additional issues emerged about the culture of local government, its readiness for change and the particular problems faced by change champions operating in a political environment.

While the cost advantages associated with outsourcing are accepted, the impact that outsourcing may have on innovation performance is ambiguous. One perspective suggests that firms outsourcing low value-adding activities will achieve higher innovation performance (that is, better designed or more technologically advanced products or more substantive process improvements) than firms that perform these activities in-house. Another view holds that firms that outsource high value-adding activities may have lower innovation performance than those firms that perform these activities in-house. While these two positions are not contradictory, neither are they complimentary. Moreover, superior innovation performance can be achieved through the effective use of innovation, or dynamic, capabilities.

Considerable research into the strength of organisational culture and the links with performance has been undertaken in recent decades. Acceptance of widely shared or strong cultures outperforming narrowly shared or weak cultures is limited. The demarcation point between strong and weak cultures is not clearly defined. This thesis presents research that investigates the organisational cultures, continuous improvement capability and the continuous improvement performance of 10 work groups within three manufacturing companies in the South of England. The quantitative methods employ the Broadfoot and Ashkanasy (1993) organisational profile, the CIRCA CI (1997) self assessment tool and a Continuous Improvement performance assessment tool which was informed by the work of Borg et al. (2006). Semi-structured interviews were also conducted in this longitudinal study. A co-production of knowledge stage following the field study provides additional findings.

This study concerns building capabilities within the electricity sector of Iran, a developing country. It focuses on two areas of high-technology development,• hydro electricity generation plants and thermal electricity generation plants, and investigates the accumulation of local capabilities to undertake large and complex development projects in these two areas. The empirical aim of the thesis is to analyse how far the local capabilities have advanced and what can be done to enhance them. The business of engineering and developing complex electricity generation systems, such as hydro and thermal power plants, is an example of high-value high-technology capital goods industries (sometimes referred to as CoPS in the innovation studies literature). This literature suggests that systems integration is a core capability of leading suppliers in CoPS industries. Most studies of capability building at the firm level in latecomer contexts, however, have focused on mass-manufacturing firms rather than on project-based ones. The CoPS literature, on the other hand, has investigated the concept of systems integration capability within the context of developed economies. Therefore, this research aims to examine latecomer systems integration capability (LSIC) in these two CoPS areas in Iran to develop our understanding of the nature and evolution of LSIC. This research is carried out as an exploratory case study, combining some elements of latecomer theory, systems integration and capability theory to develop the analytical framework for the study. The framework is then applied to evidence gathered from two major Iranian systems integrators that lead engineering and development activities involved in the construction of power plants. Evidence is gathered on the evolution of micro-level attributes, including people, knowledge, processes and structures, underlying LSIC, along with changes in products and outcomes of systems integration activities. These categories of evidence are combined with the evidence on the internal context of the firms and their external environment to reveal their achievements in the accumulation of LSIC, and to understand the dynamics behind the evolution of LSIC. The analysis of this thesis shows how the two Iranian firms entered into the business of systems integration of power plant systems, and have gradually built higher levels of LSIC, allowing them to succeed in competitive local and overseas markets, and to diversify into local markets for other complex projects. Nevertheless, there have been imbalances, spurts of rapid capability growth, periods of falling behind in specific areas of LSIC, close connections and relationships (amounting to a co-evolution among LSIC areas), and major investments and strategies to remedy imbalances, and to sustain the firms' progress. This thesis also attempts to explain these complex variations in the evolutionary paths of LSIC. In addition to contributing to the latecomer capability literature, this research suggests some policy and business strategy implications.

This thesis reports on the implementation of TQM in the unusual environment of two Professional Scientific Organisations. An action research case study was concluded in the first organisation which had implemented an unconventional form of TQM. A corroborating case study was conducted in the other which had implemented "traditional" TQM.

This thesis explores differences in the role of non-executive directors (NEDs) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): between the literature and SME practice and between the perceptions of SME NEDs and their managing directors (MDs). The explanation of these differences contributes to a richer understanding of the development of NED role trust in UK SMEs, identified as a gap in our understanding. Extending earlier research by Berry and Perren, the thesis makes a contribution to knowledge by developing a theory to explore and explain the temporal and contextual nature of the dyadic relationship between NEDs and MDs in SMEs.

Companies are faced with increasing expectations on the part of stakeholders to engage in social responsibility and are consequently expected to communicate their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts to a varied, influential, and alert audience. Despite this, CSR communication remains an emerging field, with research focusing on corporate social disclosure mainly through websites and corporate reports, while little is known about CSR advertisements. This thesis addresses this gap in the research and explains how companies publicise their CSR actions through print advertisements in order to disclose the CSR image they want to signal to their public(s). This thesis examines companies' self-presentation via disclosure of social and environmental information, adopting impression management and self-presentation concepts derived primarily from the social psychology literature. As the thesis investigates CSR image, legitimacy theory provides a theoretical prism as it attempts to explain social and environmental disclosures from corporations in order to present a socially responsible image. Six propositions were developed from the literature to create a conceptual framework. The conceptual framework was then substantiated through the use of semiotics and textual and visual analysis of 26 CSR adverts grouped into six CSR advertising campaigns in magazines circulated in the UK and Brazil and the respective non-financial reports from the six companies that communicated their CSR efforts more frequently over a 12-month period. The contribution of this doctoral research has been to develop a conceptual framework from the literature and then evaluate it in an empirical study of CSR advertising campaigns. Specifically, this thesis contributes to knowledge and theoretical development as it identifies the communications strategies firms adopt to legitimise their CSR image through, for instance, both 'informing' and 'diverting attention'.

This research surfaces the complex process of managing trade credit within small professional firms, exploring drivers of idiosyncratic practice within particular contexts. Despite the acknowledged macro-economic significance of trade credit, little is known of its management at firm-level. The well documented susceptibility of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to liquidity problems implies the importance of the management of internal resources for such firms. Small professional firms provided the opportunity to explore trade credit management where the length of the work in progress cycle can be pronounced, and where amounts receivable represent a crucial element. Current research is dominated by deductive approaches that assume a normative paradigm and have identified ‘poor’ financial management practices. Inductive, qualitative research regarding financial management within small firms is scarce, but has shown that insights into informal practice are crucial to understanding the nuances of small firm operations, and that normative practice does not necessarily provide an appropriate benchmark. This dualism has been observed within the SME literature as resulting from the adoption of an objectivist or subjectivist position. Utilising the richness of multiple case studies this research has sought to move beyond the subjective/objective divide, exploring the role of neglected informal processes whilst recognising the existence and influence of social structures. Structuration theory provided a useful lens through which to view reciprocal interactions between practitioners, the firm, and structures within society, and a means of avoiding the dichotomy between subjectivist and objectivist research. Trade credit management was explored within sixteen firms selected to represent four professional areas: accountancy, solicitors, architects and surveyors. Each case represented an account of practice within the context of the firm, and the wider environment. Practice was surfaced through interviews and other documentary sources. Causal maps were used to analyse interview transcripts and other evidence, enabling the display of factors, and relationships between them. These grounded portrayals of practice were aggregated intra-profession to create four diagrams that displayed key areas of firm practice, and the influence of emergent causal axial codes. An inter-profession diagram summarised cross case analysis. Inter profession analysis revealed an overarching narrative framework of organising, meta-level constructs that highlighted the complexity of practitioner decision making and reflected informal and formal dimensions of practice. The role of practitioners as reflexive agents in their interactions with social structures within their environments was highlighted. Responses at different environmental levels reflected practitioner’s interpretations of their structural context, demonstrating idiosyncratic practice alongside shared behaviours. This research contributes to knowledge in the presentation of cross case analysis, framed using structuration theory to consider the nature of agency and structure within the trade credit management practice of small professional firms. Cross case analysis surfaced multi-dimensional features of trade credit management practice and the nature and location of the influence of causal axial codes upon firm practice, summarised in a final cross case network of causation. This research therefore provides new insight for policy makers and small firm advisors in highlighting limitations with normative practice and affirms the need to recognise trade credit management as an integrated aspect of business management that reflects the diverse objectives and motivations of practitioners.